22-Jul-2005
Unlike some other regions of the world, trade among the South Asian countries is meagre compared to their trade outside the region.
22-Jul-2005
This conference provides a useful opportunity to reflect on the present and possible future role of APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation). In recent years, veteran APEC-watchers have rather complacently dismissed the grouping as irrelevant. But we may have under-estimated its contribution to the new matrix of economic alliances that are emerging within the region.
22-Jul-2005
The Bangladesh Ministry of Commerce has decided to engage consultants to conduct a study and identify benefits and possible risks of signing bilateral trade agreements like Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with neighbouring countries.
21-Jul-2005
The prospects for an Egypt-US free trade agreement came into question last week with US Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick’s visit to Cairo.
21-Jul-2005
Saudi Arabia will sign a trade agreement with the United States in the next two days to pave the ground for entering the World Trade Organization.
21-Jul-2005
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is said to be on track to achieve a zero-tariff regime by 2015, a key ingredient for its ambitious plan to create a single market and production base by 2020.
21-Jul-2005
The battle over a free trade agreement with Central America spilled over Tuesday in Miami to the Andean nations of South America.
21-Jul-2005
Canada is close to launching formal free-trade negotiations with South Korea as part of the federal government’s efforts to gain a firmer - and more lucrative - foothold in the massive and booming Asian region.
21-Jul-2005
China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are taking a tangible step towards creating the world’s most populous free trade area (FTA).
21-Jul-2005
Trade talks with three Andean countries get underway in downtown Miami, but for free-trade supporters the key issue in town is still the Congressional vote on the Central American Free Trade Agreement.
21-Jul-2005
After seven years of negotiations carried out in fits and spurts - and the near-death of talks under the previous government of Atef Ebeid - Turkey and Egypt are finally set to sign a free trade agreement in the coming two months.
21-Jul-2005
Commerce minister Kamal Nath’s position that a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with China would not work until it becomes a market economy is not unreasonable.
21-Jul-2005
Despite a list of reforms enacted in the last six months, Egypt seems no closer to a free-trade deal with the United States as the current ambassador heads back to Washington for a high-powered new post.
20-Jul-2005
Bangladesh Observer
The Bangladesh commerce ministry is going to consultants to run a study to identify the benefits and possible risks of signing any bilateral trade agreement (FTA) with neighbouring countries.
20-Jul-2005
Asia Pulse
The implementation of a free trade agreement (FTA) between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will negatively affect South Korea’s export competitiveness, a private trade promotion body said Tuesday.
20-Jul-2005
The Hindu
India on Tuesday moved a step closer towards finalising its negotiating strategy for the BIMSTEC Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Commerce Ministry continuing rigorous consultations with Indian industry for identifying the items of India’s export interest figuring in the "sensitive list’’ of other member countries.
20-Jul-2005
Jakarta Post
Industry players are generally the most affected stakeholders in any free trade agreement (FTA), but they continually feel they are being left out of the FTA negotiation process. The implementation of the FTA between China and ASEAN nations — which would see almost all import duties slashed starting on Wednesday and gradually dropping to zero by 2010 — is the latest example.
20-Jul-2005
Bangkok Post
While United States trade negotiators seek to strengthen intellectual property protection under the proposed Thai-US free trade area agreement, Thailand is raising the issue of genetic resources and ways to guard against biopiracy.
20-Jul-2005
Criticism of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) currently being considered by the U.S. Congress has focused heavily on concerns that the treaty would devastate Central American farmers who would be forced to compete with heavily subsidized U.S. agribusiness.
19-Jul-2005
Jakarta Post
Japan and Indonesia are focusing their series of negotiations on setting up an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) to strengthen cooperation in trade, investment and intellectual property rights, the Indonesian Minister of Trade says.
